Bearden students' experiment results back from outer space

Bearden Middle School Students are back from Cape Canaveral, Florida, where they saw their experiment launched to the International Space Station. Video by Brittany Crocker.
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Riley Speas looks on during a press conference at Bearden Middle School in Knoxville, Tennessee on Wednesday, February 22, 2017. Bearden Middle School students involved in the Student Spaceflight Experiments Program returned from their trip after watching the space launch of their science experiment to test the effectiveness of antibiotics on pink eye in space on the international space station.(Photo: Calvin Mattheis, Knoxville News Sentinel)Buy Photo

Bearden Middle School students stayed after school on Wednesday afternoon to open a package from outer space. The students sent their own experiment design to the International Space Station about a month and a half ago as part of the National Center for Earth and Space Science Education’s Student Spaceflight Experiments Program (SSEP) program.

They won a spot on SSEP's "Mission 9" rocket with their experiment to test the effectiveness of a common treatment for pink eye in microgravity.

"Pink eye could be a huge problem considering that space travel isn't always sanitary, and it can become acute in microgravity because your immune system is weakened in space," Bearden Middle eighth-grader Elise Kersch said when the team returned from the Cape Canaveral launch pad last month. "We wanted to do something that could help solve a real problem.”

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Student Spaceflight Experiments Program students attend a press conference at Bearden Middle School in Knoxville, Tennessee on Wednesday, February 22, 2017. Bearden Middle School students involved in the Student Spaceflight Experiments Program returned from their trip after watching the space launch of their science experiment to test the effectiveness of antibiotics on pink eye in space on the international space station. Calvin Mattheis, Knoxville News Sentinel

Interim Superintendent of Knox County Schools, Buzz Thomas, speaks with the Student Spaceflight Experiments Program members at Bearden Middle School in Knoxville, Tennessee on Wednesday, February 22, 2017. Bearden Middle School students involved in the Student Spaceflight Experiments Program returned from their trip after watching the space launch of their science experiment to test the effectiveness of antibiotics on pink eye in space on the international space station. Calvin Mattheis, Knoxville News Sentinel

James Pierce answers questions at Bearden Middle School in Knoxville, Tennessee on Wednesday, February 22, 2017. Bearden Middle School students involved in the Student Spaceflight Experiments Program returned from their trip after watching the space launch of their science experiment to test the effectiveness of antibiotics on pink eye in space on the international space station. Calvin Mattheis, Knoxville News Sentinel

Tara Kersch, mother of Elise Kersch, takes a photo on her phone during a press conference at Bearden Middle School in Knoxville, Tennessee on Wednesday, February 22, 2017. Bearden Middle School students involved in the Student Spaceflight Experiments Program returned from their trip after watching the space launch of their science experiment to test the effectiveness of antibiotics on pink eye in space on the international space station. Calvin Mattheis, Knoxville News Sentinel

Elise Kersch displays their science experiment to test the effectiveness of antibiotics on pink eye in space at Bearden Middle School in Knoxville, Tennessee on Wednesday, February 22, 2017. Bearden Middle School students involved in the Student Spaceflight Experiments Program returned from their trip after watching the space launch of their science experiment to test the effectiveness of antibiotics on pink eye in space on the international space station. Calvin Mattheis, Knoxville News Sentinel

Elise Kersch displays their science experiment to test the effectiveness of antibiotics on pink eye in space at Bearden Middle School in Knoxville, Tennessee on Wednesday, February 22, 2017. Bearden Middle School students involved in the Student Spaceflight Experiments Program returned from their trip after watching the space launch of their science experiment to test the effectiveness of antibiotics on pink eye in space on the international space station. Calvin Mattheis, Knoxville News Sentinel

A woman takes a photo during a press conference at Bearden Middle School in Knoxville, Tennessee on Wednesday, February 22, 2017. Bearden Middle School students involved in the Student Spaceflight Experiments Program returned from their trip after watching the space launch of their science experiment to test the effectiveness of antibiotics on pink eye in space on the international space station. Calvin Mattheis, Knoxville News Sentinel

Will Walker answers questions at Bearden Middle School in Knoxville, Tennessee on Wednesday, February 22, 2017. Bearden Middle School students involved in the Student Spaceflight Experiments Program returned from their trip after watching the space launch of their science experiment to test the effectiveness of antibiotics on pink eye in space on the international space station. Calvin Mattheis, Knoxville News Sentinel

People attend a press conference at Bearden Middle School in Knoxville, Tennessee on Wednesday, February 22, 2017. Bearden Middle School students involved in the Student Spaceflight Experiments Program returned from their trip after watching the space launch of their science experiment to test the effectiveness of antibiotics on pink eye in space on the international space station. Calvin Mattheis, Knoxville News Sentinel

Riley Speas looks on during a press conference at Bearden Middle School in Knoxville, Tennessee on Wednesday, February 22, 2017. Bearden Middle School students involved in the Student Spaceflight Experiments Program returned from their trip after watching the space launch of their science experiment to test the effectiveness of antibiotics on pink eye in space on the international space station. Calvin Mattheis, Knoxville News Sentinel

Mauricio Sanchez smiles during a press conference at Bearden Middle School in Knoxville, Tennessee on Wednesday, February 22, 2017. Bearden Middle School students involved in the Student Spaceflight Experiments Program returned from their trip after watching the space launch of their science experiment to test the effectiveness of antibiotics on pink eye in space on the international space station. Calvin Mattheis, Knoxville News Sentinel

Kate Trent looks on during a press conference at Bearden Middle School in Knoxville, Tennessee on Wednesday, February 22, 2017. Bearden Middle School students involved in the Student Spaceflight Experiments Program returned from their trip after watching the space launch of their science experiment to test the effectiveness of antibiotics on pink eye in space on the international space station. Calvin Mattheis, Knoxville News Sentinel

Alex Hoffman answers a question during a press conference at Bearden Middle School in Knoxville, Tennessee on Wednesday, February 22, 2017. Bearden Middle School students involved in the Student Spaceflight Experiments Program returned from their trip after watching the space launch of their science experiment to test the effectiveness of antibiotics on pink eye in space on the international space station. Calvin Mattheis, Knoxville News Sentinel

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Astronauts performed their experiment about two weeks ago and sent the report back to earth on a Space-X 10 rocket, so the students can complete their research.

About 10 days ago, the rocket containing their results dropped into earth's atmosphere and and splashed down off the coast of California.

Wednesday, they examined the test tube to make sure the experiment stayed intact for the 249-mile trip back from the International Space Station.

It did. The heat-sealed tubes were in perfect condition, and the team plans to begin harvesting the bacteria to examine it in about two weeks.

The team will soon perform the same experiment on the ground so it can compare the results of both experiments.

"We've got to perfectly match sort of the timing and ambiance of how they perform the experiment in space on our control group down here," said Kayla Canario, the Bearden Middle SSEP team's teacher-adviser.

The Bearden team received an honorable mention for this summer's Mission 11 flight for its proposal to test a second pink-eye treatment and see which one works better in space.

Vine Middle School beat them for the spot with a microgravity experiment design to test the removal of blue-green algae cells from water in outer space. Vine Middle School got to attend Bearden's launch in February, and will return to see their own launch this summer.